For Those That Suffer (Inspired by the crisis in Sudan)
I can see within their lifeless eyes a lifetime of suffering. I can see within their teardrops the horrible images of poverty and wretchedness. What is the restitution for a life such as this, a life filled with sorrow; a life that begins and ends with hopelessness and despair? Where do you run when you're faced with such odds? To whom do you turn when your whole world has fallen apart and there's no one there to help pick up the pieces, when your prayers have gone unanswered for so long that you no longer pray? This is the plight of those long forgotten, the shamed and the downtrodden. Foreigners to liberty, yearning to be free, having dreams of how it could be; A universal story dying to be told; They live in a place right here amongst us though at times it seems a world apart, where the sun never shines and pain rains down like water, rushing in to wash away the slightest glimmer of hope. A place where people have given up and they no longer dream, a place where happiness is seldom seen; a place where misery has forced its way in the door, made itself comfortable and refuses to leave. Who could deserve such a fate? How could anyone with a heart allow such a tragedy to continue? Who are we to watch them in disgust when they're no better or worse than us? Who determines if it's us or them who sinks or swims? Who decides who smiles or cries and who lives or dies? Why does tears fall from my eyes? This is my prayer for those that weep, for those that suffer wantonly and carry the burden of humanity on their shoulders. I dedicate these words to those who have lost their will to live and overcome, to all of the innocent families that are constantly threatened by war and the spread of disease and to that helpless mother that is unable to feed her starving children with swollen bellies. My heart also goes out to all of the women that are brutally raped and attacked in war torn countries around the world. Your ability to endure and your incredible will to carry on in spite of enormous odds is a major source of my inspiration. May your today be better than the days of yore and tomorrow you awake to suffer no more.
